06 camry. temp gage all the way up

driving my 06 camry 4cyl auto today. looked at the temp gage. it is all
the way up passed the red zone. pulled over opened hood. everything
normal. engine not overheated.noticed when i turned the engine off temp
gage just came back to midway.thought wll take it to the dealer
tomorrow.went somewhere little later and temp gage is acting normal
again stays in the middle while driving and when i turn the engine off
gage comes all the way to the bottom like it should. you know it will
act perfect, so no reason to take to dealer.anyone have any ideas? just
3300 miles.

would guess poor connection at sending unit, or defective sending unit
(that would be the sensor reads coolant temperature and converts it to
an electrical signal to be sent to the gauge)
This is predicated on your assertion that the car did not overheat,
only the gauge reading was erratic.
If the engine actually overheated, one would suspect a sticking
thermostat, and potential engine damage from running while in the red
or danger zone for coolant temperature, although Toyota thermostats
seem to fail most often in the open position minimizing this type of
risk.
Aluminum engine components are less tolerant of overheating and often
you only get to do that once.
But is most likely the sending unit.
Once drove my old Toyota truck for over a year with the red oil
pressure warning light on. Was on when I bought the truck and it ran
just fine, so I assumed there must be oil pressure. When I finally
changed the sensor, the warning light went out.

No, you should take it to the dealer regardless. If it's something
simple like the temperature sender (you said things returned to nromaly
fairly quickly), then that gets changed out for free under warranty.

But if it is more serious, then at least the dealer will have a chance
to help you out. More importantly, get it documented in your service
records.

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